


A Million Miles Away; A Message Through The Stars

by TheOrgasmicSeke



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Sburb/Sgrub Sessions, Alternia-Focused, Bulges and Nooks, Dream Bubbles, Dream Sex, Eridan and Karkat are moirails, Human/Troll Relationship, Karkat and Gamzee are kimesises, M/M, Moirails With Pails, My own personal troll anatomy headcanons, POV Third Person, Pailing, Troll Culture, dream walking, karkat's pov, nook play
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-10
Updated: 2014-09-10
Packaged: 2018-02-16 22:21:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2286519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheOrgasmicSeke/pseuds/TheOrgasmicSeke
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Karkat could have lived his life as a normal mutant troll with his highblood Moirail without ever questioning why he never felt the urge to have a Matesprite. That's something he could have done. But that's not exactly how life decided to work out. Because when two souls are meant to be, they'll find a way to one another. Even across galaxies.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Million Miles Away; A Message Through The Stars

**Author's Note:**

> So I was struck with this idea. I always looked at John and Karkat and thought how pure and natural they were. But what if Sburb never happened? What if they never met? Being a mutant, Karkat could be capable of anything we're not aware of. What about dream walking? Welp, that's how this huge piece of crap came to be. It started out great but the more I wrote it, the more I wasn't sure what I was doing anymore. But I spent collectively about 12 hours on this thing so you bet your sweet ass I'm posting it. I still love the idea. 
> 
> Warnings: Rated Explicit for a reason. See those tags? Pay attention to them.
> 
> A few songs that got me through writing this and explain the feel of this story a little bit. You might want to listen to them as you read. Or not. Up to you!
> 
> [This](http://youtu.be/YgFyi74DVjc), [This](http://youtu.be/H-wnJkXYzgo), and [This](http://youtu.be/UGUqTa04Z6o)
> 
> Also,[ this](http://youtu.be/QWzW1TxonTM).
> 
> Also, I did my best to spell-check and make sure everything was just right. But holy crap there was so much red because of the Alternian way of speaking and it was crazy! So I apologize if I missed a few things. It was hard to tell what was wrong and what was actually supposed to be there.

_Damn boy this is typical. Burned out; feeling critical._

_You're the drug I can't put down. And I can't stop._

_Boy you make me a criminal._

It was all pure sensation to start out with. Just pleasure. Overcoming his entire body with emotion he'd never felt in his life. Warmth filling his grey skin, flushing it red and pulsing through his entire body. It was all he could remember. Sensation. Beautiful, wonderful, pleasurable sensation that he would beg not to stop. But he had no choice. He had no control over it. It was too fuzzy. Too much or too little to comprehend.

And when crimson eyes snapped open to a dark ceiling, it was gone. The pressure was gone but sensation sparked over his grey skin. His back arched off the bed slightly while his lips parted to release shallow gasps as he tried to catch a breath he wasn't even sure how he'd lost. His body shook with pleasure, his eyes closing just slightly as the strange familiar feeling of warm liquid trickled between his thighs.

"Fuck." He gasped softly, sitting up on his elbows as best as he could and winced at the feel of more genetic material slipping out from between his legs. Crimson eyes narrowed, lips curled over his sharp teeth and a red flush settled over his grey rounded cheeks at the red fluid soaking through the sheets of his restblock. For a moment, the troll could only stare at the mess his body had made without his permission. And then he released a sigh, his body going limp as he fell back against the comfortable restblock.

His limbs felt strange; still coursing with pleasure that came basically out of no where. His dreams were fuzzy and he couldn't even remember what he had been dreaming about. He was thankful he'd woken up alone for once because the last thing he wanted to hear about was how he'd made a mess of his bed in the most shameful way. He groaned suddenly, flinging a toned arm over his eyes. He'd made a mess of himself and cleaning it up was going to be a disaster. It was why they used buckets.

"Insufferable pungent pile of trash." He mumbled to himself, his body still shaking slightly with the lingering sensation of his oddly received climax.

* * *

Sensation was something he was used to. The dreams were something he could learn to handle if only he could actually comprehend what they were. By the time he woke up with a mess of red between his legs it was far to late to stop. Because dreams were dreams and though these dreams were a hell of a lot better than the horrorterrors that used to haunt his sleep, they still left him uncomfortable.

What kind of troll got off in his sleep? It was shameful. Completely shameful and Karkat was grateful that every time it happened, he woke up alone. Last thing he ever wanted was for his Moirail or Kismesis to wake beside him and find he'd soiled himself in his sleep. The thought alone made him want to cull himself.

But he had no control over the dreams. They came when they came and the more they came, the more he could remember when he woke. The most recent dream had left him more shaken than ever before.

Karkat sat up with a gasp, his teeth rattling in his mouth and his knees pressing together at the tingling sensation between them. His entire body shook with his release, claws digging into the sides of his thighs as red genetic material slipped from his nook and spread out over his sheets. Sheets that had once been white and were changed out for red ones. Easier to hide. Less stains.

"G-Globetickling fuck _ah_ squatting grubfucker." The words were the breathless tail-end of a moan that made his entire body flush with warmth.

Fuzzy memories of his dream tickled the edge of his mind. Something they'd never done before. He never remembered details. Just sensation that left him breathless. Because even though he would probably never admit it to anyone but his Moirail, it was the best pailing he'd ever had in his life.

Bright blue eyes. Soft, warm _pink_ skin. Claw-less fingers that knew just how to touch him. Just where to press. Blunt teeth that no matter how hard they bit, couldn't break skin. And a strange smile that he couldn't get out his mind. He had no idea what was happening to him and really, he was starting to think he was losing his thinkpan.

Dreams were dreams. And though he was having better dreams than he had before the uprising, he still wasn't okay with them. The last thing Karkat ever wanted to feel was pathetic. And it certainly was pathetic to wake up in a puddle of your own genetic material.

* * *

Warm breath against his ear, soft claw-less fingers rubbing along the lips of his nook; pushing, rubbing, feeling. The gasp he released made his back arch and he could feel a strange hard _thing_ pressing against his thigh. Claws dug into soft shoulders causing the creature above him to hiss in pain. _Creature_. That's right. It wasn't a troll. Couldn't be a troll. Never was a troll.

Karkat's body went rigid as crimson eyes snapped open, meeting the purest color of blue he'd ever seen in his life. His bloodpusher pressed hard against his chest, his body flushed with warmth and for a moment, all he could see was blue. And then those pink lips were moving. Talking, speaking, saying something the troll didn't quite understand at first.

"-hear me. Please say you can." His voice was soft but deep while bright eyes focused on crimson that widened with each word he came to understand. The creature above him stilled slightly before his hand between the trolls legs shifted to brush over a hip. "C-Can you?" He gasped softly, blue eyes widening just as large as the troll's.

All Karkat could muster was a nod.

"You can hear me!" The creature gasped as he let his body collapse on top of the troll, nuzzling his face into a grey neck as his hands grasped his hips. Karkat allowed his legs to spread just a bit more to accommodate the creature a top him. "I've been trying for a while to get your attention. It felt different from normal." He mumbled, pressing the softest kiss to the troll's neck that made a red flush come to his grey cheeks. "So I thought maybe I could actually talk to you this time. And I can. Oh fuck, I can talk to you." He pulled back suddenly, the expression on his face bright and full of hope; Something Karkat was sure he'd never seen in his lifetime.

Sensation was one thing. Remembering it when he woke up was another. But actually _speaking_ to his strange dream pailing creature was a whole other cup of grubworms he wasn't ready to open. Because then he'd be forced to accept he really was losing his thinkpan.

"Shut your mouthflap." He grunted, claws digging in soft jet black hair to tug that face closer to his so their lips could crash together. The creature whined faintly but pressed against the troll, letting his lips part so Karkat could slip his tongue inside.

"Ah." He gasped, pulling back just enough against Karkat's hold on his hair to meet crimson eyes. "But we, fuck, we can talk. I've been-"

"Shut it." Karkat snapped, pulling the creature back to him so their lips could get to know each other again.

The oddly pink creature just sighed, his body relaxing as he pressed into the kiss. Tongues brushed together and though the other was careful of Karkat's sharp teeth, he still ran his tongue over them. The warm breath that mingled with his own made Karkat grunt and arch his body into the others. The creature was quick to pull his lips away only to press them against the grey skin of the troll's throat. Karkat tilted his head, elongating his neck to give the other more access to one of his most sensitive areas.

His thighs spread open when long claw-less fingers pressed over the lips of his nook. The moan he released was shameful but he didn't care. Why would he care? It was just a dream. He didn't give a fuck if his dream pailing creature wanted to talk to him for unknown reasons. Karkat was going to get what he always did. Because his body was still in control and his mind had taken a very long vacation and didn't plan on returning anytime soon.

Blunt teeth sunk into his throat causing him to let out a faint chirp of approval that made the creature press closer. One hand pushed his thighs farther apart till the troll was completely open to him; something he'd never done to another being. But it was a _dream_. It didn't matter. The strange swelling in his chest didn't matter. Just the pleasure that was coursing through his veins as that strange blunt hard _thing_ pushed against the lips of his nook.

Karkat scrambled to find leverage against the hips pressing into him. His claws dug into the sheets of the restblock they were on. _White sheets_ , his mind vaguely registered. His back arched, his arms tensed and his eyes slipped shut as that _thing_ slipped inside him, spreading him farther than he ever thought possible but holy grubfucking shittits did it feel amazing. The creature above him grunted, nuzzling his face into a grey throat where he gave soft bites that left Karkat's skin tingling.

It was different. Vastly different. Karkat's body knew that. He angled slightly, lifting up his hips so when the other pulled out to slip back in, it didn't hurt. His body wasn't meant to be pailed by something so hard and blunt but _fuck_ it felt good when it was done right. He didn't know what the creature above him was, but damn if he didn't know what he was doing.

Claws abandoned the sheets to dig into soft but toned shoulders. The creature didn't even fight against the pain and when blood spilled over his claws, Karkat let out a groan that made the creature shiver. His bulge slapped about against his stomach as the other started to move, lifting his hips only to thrust back in. It was the strangest way to pail but Karkat wasn't complaining. Because it was the _best_ way.

The creature gasped against his neck, blunt nails digging into grey hips as Karkat's red wet bulge wrapped around the base of his hard pailing device. The blunt bulge couldn't fit all the way inside the troll but his much more flexible bulge was willing to make up for that. The pink creature shivered, blunt teeth sinking into grey skin as those hips snapped forward. Crimson eyes snapped open, claws dug into soft skin and all Karkat could do was _take_ the pailing and fuck if he was complaining about it. With every thrust came a wave of pleasure that left him gasping for air and hoping, begging, that it would never stop. That for fucking once he would cum with the other instead of alone in his bed.

But really, that was too much for the troll to hope for and he knew it.

"F-Fuck!" He gasped, crimson eyes snapping open to a dark familiar ceiling as his body convulsed against his climax. Pleasure crashed over his body, leaving him panting and shaking in the aftermath. "Shit." He gasped, rolling over onto his side as he curled into a ball, ignoring the way his genetic material slipped from his nook and coated his thighs. His body shook with sensation, making his skin prickly with warmth. "Grubfisting shitpuppet." He gasped, his throat sore for reasons that couldn't be properly explained. "Every gogdamn time." His voice was soft as his eyes closed tightly against the crushing despair that overtook him. It was too much. It was torture on him really. He had to figure out a way to stop it. He just had to or he was going to lose his almost useless thinkpan.

* * *

"What died and crawled up your motherfucking wasteshoot?"

Karkat tensed at the slowly drawled words, his shoulders tightening as he glanced over them at the lanky troll leaning in his doorway. As far as he knew, he'd been alone. But it wasn't all that unusual for the crazy highblood to linger around Karkat's hive without the other's knowledge. He'd been busy cursing up a storm as he changed his sheets once again when the other troll spoke up.

"Fuck off you kringlefucking douchebagging shitclown." The soft growl he received made him shiver with anticipation but he really wasn't in the mood. "Go away, Gamz. I'm not in the fucking mood."

The tall, lanky troll swayed slightly as he pushed off the door frame of Karkat's respiteblock, a strange smirk curling over his paint covered face. "Don't gotta be so motherfucking rude, Karbro."

The shorter troll open his mouth to retort, his body already turning around to do so but he was stopped by strong lanky arms that wrapped around him, pinning him against a hard chest. He let out a grunt, stumbling slightly as he was pressed against the wall, pinned there by the other troll.

"Gogfucking shittits, Gamz." He hissed, full lips curling over sharp teeth as he glanced back at the grinning highblood. Claws dug into his hips _hard_ , breaking skin so bright red blood could pool. "Fucking-Let go you crazy jerkfuck!"

"What motherfucking fun is in that?" His voice dipped low into a slight purr as his lips trailed along Karkat's pointed ear. "You smell motherfucking good, Karbro." He mumbled softly, lust dripping into his voice as his hips pushed against the lowblood's ass.

Anger swelled into Karkat's chest, his crimson eyes narrowing as he took the chance to lift his hand and dig claws into long dirty black hair. He tugged, pulling Gamzee's head closer till he could sink his teeth into his jaw. The sudden pain made the troll grunt and gave Karkat the chance to push him away, spinning around with a snarl on his lips.

Gamzee lifted a hand, running his claw tips over the bite, smearing purple blood that mingled with his white and dark grey face paint. He perked a brow, his deep purple eyes focusing on the panting troll a few feet away. He hummed softly, licking his own blood from his claws as he watched Karkat with a contemplating expression.

"Something definitely crawled all up in there and it sure wasn't me." The flash of pity in those eyes made Karkat's anger boil.

"Don't." Karkat nearly choked on the word, crimson eyes narrowing against the strange swell in his chest. "You're not my fucking Moirail, asshole."

The highblood took a moment to consider that before a shoulder lifted in a shrug. The pity was gone, replaced with something much more familiar to the red-blooded troll. A twisted smirk came to those lips, revealing uneven sharp teeth. It was the only warning he had. Karkat dipped down into a crouch, a smirk coming to his full lips as he waited for his Kismesis to make the first move. It never took long. Gamzee wasn't a patient troll.

* * *

It wasn't much. It probably should have taken more but because Karkat knew his voice, when the creature spoke again it knocked him out of his daze quicker than he would have liked. Blunt nails gripped his hips, lips pressed against his arched throat and his bulge was completely wrapped around the hard, leaking pink _thing_ that the creature liked to pail him with. They lay on their sides, facing one another while Karkat had one hand buried in soft raven hair while the other curled against his chest.

"Oh, fuck, y-you're good at that. Jesus. What is that? Oh shit, I don't care _what_ it is. It's the single most amazing thing ever." The creature rambled on, his lips brushing over Karkat's throat as he spoke. He groaned softly when Karkat's bulge tightened ever so slightly. " _Ah,_ fuck that thing is so amazing."

"Bulge." Karkat grunted out softly, pleasure sparking along his skin.

The creature stilled for just a second before lifting his head enough to meet half-lidded crimson eyes. Blue. So blue. So beautiful. Blue orbs widened slightly as a soft smile curled onto those lips. "You, _ah_ , you understand me? _Finally_." He groaned, pressing his face back into the troll's neck. "I thought last time was some strange fluke. I'm so glad it wasn't..."

Something about the other's tone struck Karkat to the core. His throat tightened and he swallowed hard, fighting against the overwhelming urge to just move his hips against the other's. He parted his lips to speak but before he could do so those blue orbs were back and he was struck silent with the pure look of joy in those eyes.

"This is so weird. I know it's so weird. Cause it's a dream and all but fuck you're hot. Did you know that? You're fucking gorgeous." Blue orbs scanned the trolls face as he bit into his lower lip against his smile. "You are. I don't even know what you are. I mean, you're not human. I know that. Fuck if I care though. You're gorgeous. All I think about really. When I'm not dreaming about you." He paused, arching his eyebrows for a moment. "What are you anyway? Are you demon? Cause that's a theory I have and I-"

Karkat kissed the fool just to shut him up. Unsurprisingly, it worked. The creature... The _human_ grunted softly against the kiss as Karkat tightened his grip on soft black hair. The troll had no idea what a human was or a demon for that matter but he really didn't care. He was sure talking to his dream pailing partner was not the best idea in the world. Because it made it way more real than he was willing to admit it was.

The human grunted softly, pulling back enough to meet crimson eyes. A red flush cradled those pale cheeks and made Karkat's chest swell. "Okay, if you're a demon, don't take my soul."

Lips curled over sharp teeth as he hissed softly. "The fuck is a demon."

Blue orbs blinked. "You're not a demon? Okay but you're obviously not human. I mean, grey skin." He ran his finger tips over the curve of Karkat's hips. "Horns." Blue flicked to the small rounded horns nestled in shaggy black hair. "Teeth, claws... And those eyes. I've never seen anyone with eyes that color before. And yellow around instead of white?" He swallowed hard, pressing forward to plant a soft kiss against warm lips. "What are you?" He whispered softly.

Karkat felt his back arch slightly as a snarl came from his lips. "I could ask you the same grubfucking question. Useless is what you are. Soft and pink. Can't even take a bite without shedding blood. Pathetic." The word made him pause just slightly before he flared with anger, claws tightening in soft hair as he tugged earning a faint grunt.

"I-I'm human." He grunted out. "I, _fuck_ , My name's John. John Egbert and holy crap that feels good." The tail end of his sentence became a moan as Karkat kept his tight grip on the human's hair.

Crimson eyes narrowed as he peered into lust clouded blue. "Human, huh? I really am losing my thinkpan."

John gasped softly, blunt nails clawing their way up Karkat's sides till they met his grub scars. The troll's grip in the human's hair tightened slightly as those blunt nails scraped over the sensitive skin. "No, _shit_ , you're not. Maybe I am. Oh _fuck_ , what's your name?"

There was no point in keeping it from the human. It was a dream anyway. Karkat was willing to accept perhaps he had completely lost his thinkpan. "Karkat."

"That's... an interesting name." John gasped softly, shifting so he was even with the troll. It was then they were both reminded of the fact that Karkat's bulge was still wrapped tightening around John's. "Gah, your bulge or whatever it is, is fucking _amazing._ "

Karkat grunted softly. "Yours isn't half bad."

John moaned softly, pressing closer so their bodies smashed together. "Ha, I don't wanna stop but, I want to talk to you. I... I wanna know you. But if we keep this us, we'll wake up and I... Goodness, Karkat, you're so sexy." He mumbled the last sentence with his face pressed into the troll's throat. "Ugh, what _are_ you?"

"A troll."

Blinking as he pulled back, John met crimson eyes with a faint smile on his lips. "You're a troll? Like, hides under bridges and eats goats, troll?"

"The hell? No you ignorant taintchafing doucheshitting bulgejerk."

John's eyebrows shot up at the other's words. "Well, I've heard of all kinds of trolls but I've never _seen_ any that look like you. Where are you from?"

"Alternia."

Blue eyes just blinked. "Never heard of that. Is it a country?"

"Fuck is a country?"

"Uh... Wait a minute..." John's eyes widened a fraction. "I'm from Seattle. Washington. In the United States." All Karkat did was perk a brow. "Um, On Earth?" He ventured softly.

"Well, obviously. Pretty damn much spelled out that you're from another planet you incompetent asswipe."

John's eyes widened as he pushed away from the other just enough to fully meet his eyes. "You're an alien?!"

Karkat just sighed softly, rolling his eyes. "I'm a troll."

"But you... You're from another planet."

"Obviously."

"I... I never even considered that."

"Squishy things like you wouldn't survive on Alternia. So I always knew."

"I..." John bit his lower lip. "What's Alternia like?"

Karkat paused for a moment, searching blue eyes that were full of curiosity. What harm was there in telling the human? Sure, the more he spoke with John the more he started to wonder if he was still dreaming or in some weird bubble. A bubble that was some form of reality which meant he _had_ been dream pailing some human from another universe. He wasn't quite ready to accept that.

So Karkat told him. He told him all he could about Alternia.

Alternia was an ancient planet, shadowed in mainly darkness full of trolls that preferred night to day. It had once been a dangerous place to live but after the uprising and the new queen came to be, it was less violent. Less dangerous. Especially for a mutant like Karkat. He'd spent his entire life fighting to stay alive. Avoiding the drones and just hoping that no one would ever figure out the true color of his blood. He'd killed to keep his blood color a secret back then and it wasn't something he never regretted.

Once the new queen came to be, things changed. Not instantly, but over time. Sweeps and sweeps passed and the drones disappeared, the culling became less and Karkat had less to worry about. Life became somewhat normal. With schools and jobs. A normal society though there was still hatred among the trolls. They were violent creatures and weren't so easily changed. But it was still better than it had been before Karkat became an adult.

"That... Oh god Karkat, that sounds horrible." Blue eyes were widened in slight horror as blunt nails pulled him closer. Their bulges calmed long ago but were still pressed together. Karkat's had retracted almost fully inside himself and he was faintly surprised to see John's didn't retract at all. "That's... a horrible way to live."

The troll only shrugged slightly. "It's better than it was. And considering my Moirail and Kismesis are both highbloods, I have nothing to worry about anymore."

"What's a highblood?"

"Has to deal with the hemospectrum. Trolls have different blood colors." Never had Karkat felt so calm while speaking about such a thing. Speaking to John kept him calm. Maybe it was the strange dream like haze around them or because the troll had long given up fighting whatever the hell was going on. Perigrees had passed and still John haunted his dreams and his waking time. Fighting it was impossible anymore.

"Really? Your blood looks like mine." John pointed out before glancing down their bodies shyly. There was less than an inch of space between them but John could still see the tip of Karkat's red bulge slipping back inside. His eyes widened slightly but he didn't question the thing. "I did always think it was strange that your um... stuff was red too. Though it's more... like, translucent red. But well, you have a weird tentacle thing between your legs so I learned not to question it."

"It's called a bulge, nookwhiff." The troll snorted softly.

"Bulge, huh? That's what we call dicks when they're stuffed in clothes. Dicks are um ours. Human bulges." He explained at the slightly blank look received at using the word. "So, if there's a blood line thingy, where are you on it?"

"I told you I'm a mutant. I'm not on it."

"But your blood is the same color as... Oh." He blinked. "You're a mutant because you have blood the same color as a human?"

Crimson eyes rolled. "I never even knew what a human was before you, fuckass. I'm a mutant because my blood isn't on the scale. I'm lower than the lowest fucking blood. I should have been culled as a grub but by some miraculous mistake I wasn't."

John's eyebrows shot up. "Mistake? What? You're not a mistake, Karkat."

He only scoffed softly. "Says the squishy human."

"Aw, okay, I don't know a thing about trolls other than the little you've told me but everyone deserves to live, Karkat. Everyone."

The seriousness of those words struck Karkat. The human was so... Innocent and pure. So... pitiful. Well fuck. He swallowed against the lump that formed in his chest and refused to even acknowledge that he could pity a creature from his dreams. It was way too surreal even for him. And he'd seen Gamzee rip out the intestines of a lime-blood who dared to even look at Karkat the wrong way.

"You're strange. Your world is strange."

Confused blue eyes met his. "It probably is to you. I mean, we have crime and stuff and yeah there's been wars but it's pretty peaceful right now. Certainly nothing like what you've been through. My life is... well, pretty normal I think."

Innocent and pure. Without a doubt. Pitiful. Fuck.

A strange wave of exhaustion crushed over Karkat and he felt his eyes slip back into his head. John suddenly gasped and grabbed him around the waist, pulling their bodies together. "No. Karkat, no. Don't go yet. I want to talk to you more. Don't leave me." The troll opened his eyes slowly, fighting against the strange mental tugging he felt. He was tired. So tired. Why was he so tired all of a sudden? John continued to mumbled against his cheek, holding on to him as tightly as possible. "Please don't leave me."

The gasp that tore through Karkat's throat left him spinning as his eyes snapped open to a dark ceiling. His bloodpusher pumped loudly in his pointed ears, his breaths came in pants and his claws clung to the sheets at his sides. He could feel the soft trickle of red tears in the corner of his eyes as he stared at the ceiling. It was like someone shoved him back into his body and it fucking _hurt_.

"Kar?" The voice was soft, light, but still made the troll flinch. "Are you alright, Kar?" The accent was familiar to him and when those arms wrapped around him and pulled him into a strong chest he relaxed slightly enough to even out his breathing. "Did you havve a horrormare?" The words were spoken softly as the troll's moirail ran long fingers through his hair soothingly. "I thought you stopped havving them."

It took a moment for Karkat to gain his grounding back. His bloodpusher calmed and his breath came evenly but his body was still flushed with warmth and his eyes felt itchy. Of all fucking times for him to have a dream about that insufferable human creature it had to been on a night he spent with his moirail. Of fucking course. At least they hadn't pailed. There was that.

"I'm grubfucking fine." He groaned softly, pushing against a bare chest that didn't budge.

"Don't pull that shit with me, Kar." The voice snapped softly as that hand slipped over his hair and moved to ever so gently squeeze the base of one of his horns. Karkat practically melted at the touch, his muscles relaxing as he let his face press into his moirail's throat. "If you'vve havving horrormares again you need to tell me these things. I can't do my job if I'm not awware of them."

"Not horrormares." He grumbled softly, letting himself mold against his moirail as the other pet his hair gently.

"Oh? Then wwhat? I havven't seen you react that wway since... wwell I don't think I'vve evver see you react that wway."

"It's nothing. Don't want to talk about it."

Eridan hummed softly, letting his claws trail over the mutant troll's scalp slowly. "Course you don't. Doesn't mean I'll let it go. Sun's still up. Wwe have plenty of time."

Karkat groaned softly, crinkling his nose as he pulled back to meet beautiful violet eyes. "You're a bitchshitting bulgescratching mothergrubfucker."

"Don't be rude, Kar." He snapped back softly, violet eyes narrowing. "I'm just doing my job. Pardon me for wwanting to return the affection you'vve givven to me."

Ah, that stung a little. Crimson eyes lowered slightly as his shoulders relaxed against the gentle hand rubbing up and down his back. "Sorry."

Eridan relaxed as well, allowing his claws to continue trailing over the mutant's scalp. "Noww, talk to me, Kar. Wwhat's going on? You havve been acting awwfully strange lately. Does this havve anything to do wwith that?"

"Maybe? I don't know, Eridan... I doubt you'll believe me. Hell, I don't even believe me... None of it makes much sense."

The highblood just nuzzled his nose against soft raven hair as his hands continue to rub over toned grey skin. Eridan had always been a good hand span taller than Karkat but the shorter troll was broader with a bit more meat to his bones. Considering their differences, they fit together rather well. Physically and emotionally. Karkat was the best moirail Eridan could have ever asked for and though sometimes the highblood thought their relationship was one-sided, Karkat was always quick to prove him wrong.

"Try me, Kar." He mumbled softly.

Karkat shifted slightly, enjoying the feel of those claws petting his skin. "Maybe I am losing my thinkpan. It sure as fuck isn't normal to have full on conversations with someone in your dreams."

"Hm?"

He sighed softly, not even sure how to explain it to Eridan. The best way was the blunt way and that was the most embarrassing way. But this was his moirail. He relaxed slightly and pulled back enough to meet violet eyes. "I've been pailing an alien in my dreams."

A perfectly sculped brow arched a fraction. "Pardon?"

Warmth flushed his grey cheeks as he glanced away to the dark ceiling of his respiteblock. "It wasn't much at first. Just sensation and I'd wake up with... genetic material all over the place." He struggled through the embarrassing words and was grateful that Eridan didn't snort or even scoff. The highblood only watched the other in interest. It made him relax slightly and remember that Eridan was his _moirail_. He would never do such a thing. Especially after all they'd been through. "The more it happened the more... I'd remember. And the more... real it would become. I don't even know how to explain it, Eridan. It's come to the point that I've had a full on conversation with this human and realized he's probably having the same issues that I am about all this."

"Human?" Eridan's interest peaked, a brow raising more. "You're pailing a human?"

"You know what they are?"

"I'm a history buff, Kar. I knoww a lot about other alien species out there." He laughed softly in slight disbelief. "You're _pailing_ a human in your sleep. Oh, howw does that evven happen?"

"Fuck if I know!" Karkat snapped softly, his lips curling up in a soft snarl as his eyes narrowed before he paused. "You believe me?"

"Wwouldn't be the first occurrence of dream wwalking, Kar. It's pretty rare these days. It's an old power that died off long ago. Or so evveryone thought. Nevver knoww wwhat to expect with a mutant."

"What the everfuck is dream walking?"

"You knoww of the dream bubbles, correct?" He continued after Karkat's nod. "There wwere trolls wwho used to be able to explore them. Seems you might be one of them."

"I... I didn't do this, Eridan. I never even tried to... And how does that explain him? He's human. Do they even have powers like that?"

"Hell if I knoww, Kar. It's been centuries since we'vve interacted with them. If you do havve this powwer, it's possible that someone wwith... a more mental power could abuse it."

"Gamzee?"

Eridan scoffed. "I doubt that useless bag of insufferable horns is evven capable of understanding such a thing."

"Thought he was _my_ Kismesis, Eridan."

He huffed softly. "You knoww I am a proud member of the dowwn wwith the clowwn commity."

Karkat couldn't help but snort, a faint smile coming to his full lips. "Yeah, of course. You and everyone else I know." Crimson eyes rolled at the smirk his moirail gave him. "If not Gamz than who? Like, who else would fuck with me on such a level? Because it's not good, Eridan. It's fucking torture really. How would you feel if every time you pail, you're dragged away just as your about to cum and forced to do so on your own. It's shameful as fuck is what it is."

"He's that good?"

Karkat paused, crimson meeting violet. "What?"

"He's that good at pailing you?"

"I... well... I suppose so." He wasn't willing to admit it was the best pailing he'd ever had in his life and he'd rather it never end even if it meant losing his thinkpan. But he was pretty sure Eridan understood that anyway with the knowing look he received.

"What's he look like?"

"Pink. Squishy. He doesn't have claws, or fangs, or even horns. His skin breaks when I hardly bite or claw it and he bleeds the same color I do." Violet widened a fraction. "He's taller than I." Least he was pretty sure of that considering they'd only ever been in bed together. But Eridan was a good comparison of height and judging by that, John was probably as tall as the highblood. "Broader shoulders. Built like you but with more muscle. Dark hair. Blue eyes. And the purest smile I've ever seen in my life."

Eridan glanced up at that. He'd been focused on petting Karkat's hair until the troll had said that. "Is that so?"

"Yeah, and oh _god_ , Eridan, his bulge is so broken. It's this large blunt hard thing and he doesn't even have a nook! He wouldn't last a day on Alternia. Innocent little fucker."

"Hey Kar?"

"What?"

"You pity him."

The troll flinched at those words. It wasn't a question. It was a statement of the obvious. It felt worse coming from Eridan. "I know."

"Wwhat are you going to do then?"

"The fuck can I do?" He hissed softly. "I don't even know if this is real or not. I'm starting to think it might be a good idea to just not sleep for a while and see what happens."

"No, Kar. No more of that shit. Wwe just finally got you back on a normal sleep schedule."

"Then what am I supposed to do, Eridan?!" He snapped suddenly, his lips curling back in a snarl as the black slits of his eyes started to take over the crimson. His bloodpusher pounded a little harder as his chest constricted in a strange pain.

"Shh, Shh." Arms wrapped around him tightly, pushing his face into a long elegant neck. "Wwe'll figure it out, Kar. Wwe wwill."

The mutant troll whined faintly, his claws coming up to grip at his moirail's shoulders as he tried to come to terms with the strange feelings swirling in his stomach and chest.

* * *

Falling asleep in his bed, wrapped around Eridan only to wake in a completely different bed, with a human was something Karkat should have been used to. But he wasn't. If only for the fact that when he came to in his dreams with John, it was only after they started pailing. He never knew how they started pailing, only that it was something that always happened. He never woke in a daze with the human at his side. Was this how John always woke? Why was it so different for Karkat then? Was someone really fucking with him?

John suddenly gasped, his eyes snapping open and nearly startled the troll laying beside him. The human sat up suddenly, glancing around the purely white room that only had the restblock they were in. No windows or doors. Nothing but a restblock and the two of them. Naked. As always. The human's shoulders slumped slightly before he glanced to his side, noticing Karkat leaning up on his elbows.

"Karkat!" John suddenly exclaimed, flinging his body on top of the troll. Karkat grunted at the sudden weight a top him but didn't stop the human from settling between his legs and nuzzling into his neck. "I thought I wouldn't see you again! It's been weeks!"

He grunted softly, letting his hands hover in the air for only a moment before he decided to fuck it and let them rest on John's warm back. "Has it?"

"I... I was worried... That maybe you weren't coming back. That I went to far into my mind so you disappeared." He mumbled against the grey skin of Karkat's throat. "I mean, you're all I think about Karkat. When I'm awake, I'm always thinking about you. Wondering about you. Wondering if you're real or if I've gone insane. And if you are real, than what the heck is going on? How is this even possible? Oh god, Karkat, I can't even begin to understand what this means."

"I've... been trying to. Nothing makes sense however."

"You _are_ real, aren't you?"

"About as real as the air."

John relaxed, his arms pulling out from under Karkat so he could lift up on one while the other cupped the troll's face. "My friends probably think I'm crazy. But I _knew_ you were real. I just knew it."

"You told your friends?"

He nodded. "Dave probably believes me if only for the fact he doesn't think I'm creative enough to actually come up with you."

"I told my moirail."

"What's that?"

Karkat crinkled his nose, not even sure how to explain it to a human. A human that he understood. A human who was speaking... Alternian. Or was he not? They understand each other somehow. Maybe it was part of the bubble they were in. "It's a form of a relationship. Trolls have four quadrants. Eridan is my moirail, meaning pale. Platonic mates."

"So like... best friends? The bestest of best friends?"

"...Something like that."

"And the other four?"

"Too much to explain."

John nodded, accepting that for the time being as he shifted to lay on the troll once again. He tucked a hand under Karkat's back, pressing blunt nails against grey skin while the other hand trailed over the troll's side as his face pressed into his neck. "I missed you, Karkat."

The troll wasn't going to admit the same aloud because doing so would admit he had red feelings for the human. A human he hardly knew but pitied the fuck out of. John had an innocence Karkat had never seen and he wanted to protect that for some reason. He wanted to keep that smile on that face. It was instinct for him to pity someone so helpless. Not to mention how damn good the human was at pailing.

Oh yeah, _pailing_. That was a good idea.

Claws dug into soft raven hair as Karkat arched his back into the human. John gasped softly, blue eyes fluttering open to glance at the troll beneath him. Crimson met blue and for a moment, John felt the same rush of heat flood his body that went through Karkat's. Nothing could explain it really but when their lips met, it was like they were always meant to do so.

It started slow. With John's fingertips trailing up his side as their lips moved together. Soft kisses, just the simple pressure of lips until that pressure grew more and more. Karkat opened his mouth without hesitation, letting that tongue slip inside to run along the roof of his mouth before it was gone again. He chirped softly in the back of his throat, clawing down the human's back gentle enough not to break skin as their tongues met.

And then it was a blur. Maybe because the haze returned and all Karkat could focus on was _John_. The sounds he made and the way his body moved. The way his fingers pressed against his skin and the way he groaned when the troll broke skin to taste blood. His body opened willingly to the human who slipped between his legs. His bulge eagerly wrapped around John's, bringing him closer to get what it wanted. Karkat lifted his hips just as John pushed forward and once they were connected it was the simple most amazing feeling in the world.

John panted softly in Karkat's pointed ear as the troll kept a grip on his hair while the other hand pressed into his lower back, urging him on. Time seemed to slow down then. One of John's hands gripped Karkat's hip tightly while he leaned on the elbow of his free arm to keep him from crushing the troll beneath him. It was an awkward angle but neither seemed to mind when their hips met in the perfect, pleasurable way.

"F-Fuck, John." Karkat moaned faintly, his eyes slipping shut. The haze faded enough that he could focus on the feeling of that hard blunt thing inside of him. The various rings of muscles inside his nook tightened, bringing John inside more and made the human gasp in pleasure. John never really moaned. It was always soft gasps and breathless sounds. It drove the troll nuts.

"K-Karkat." He breathed softly, pressing lips against the troll's pointed ear as he angled his hips before thrusting back in.

The troll's back arched at the wave of pleasure that crashed through his body. John pushed harder this time, slipping his bulge even deeper inside the troll. Karkat couldn't fight it. He didn't want to fight it. He'd been hurt worse by Gamzee and this was the type of pain he enjoyed in his pailing. The tip of John's hard bulge pressed against something deep within Karkat and the troll nearly saw stars for a second.

"S-Shit." He stammered, his voice a higher pitch than normal, not that he had time to notice. Claws dug into John's back, breaking skin as he wrapped his legs around the human's waist, pulling him in more. "Deeper, John, _oh fuck_ , _pail me_."

The human was happy to obey. He pulled out just enough until he could snap his hips and slam back in until he was fully sheathed inside the troll. The feeling alone drove the human to the brink. The rings of muscles inside Karkat's nook, shifted and rolled against him, squeezing and tugging. He wasn't sure he could take much more of that. And then he froze at the feeling of Karkat's bulge slipping under John's sack to feel for something. Something that wasn't there. No nook. But it found something else.

"H-Holy fucking hell no Karkat, oh my god."

The troll tensed at the other's words, not even aware of what his bulge was doing. It only wanted a hole to fuck and it found one, the tip rubbing against the entrance. "What? Why the fuck have you stopped moving?"

"T-That isn't meant to- _Ah._ " He flinched when the tip pressed inside and for a moment, John couldn't even form a coherent word.

"Seems fine to me now move you asshole."

John gave a soft whine from the back of his throat but didn't fight the intrusion anymore. The rings around his bulge made it impossible to even focus any longer. Karkat's bulge was happy with just the tip being inside the human so John left it at that as he shifted his hips to thrust into the troll once again. John didn't need to thrust for the pleasure, but he wanted to please Karkat. And with how the troll met his hips with each thrust and gave the most delicious sounds; John was sure he was doing it just right.

Karkat could feel the start of his climax coming with the way genetic material started to slip from his nook, coating John's bulge even more. John was starting to shake, his nails digging hard into Karkat's skin enough to finally break it. The spark of pain was all it took for either of them. John's teeth clenched down on Karkat's throat hard, his body shook and something hot shot up into the trolls nook. Karkat's back arched, his nook clenched and genetic material pooled in his nook. So close. So fucking close and John wasn't stopping even though he had reached his peak.

And then the haze was back and tugging. Tugging that made Karkat yelp in alarm. He saw startled blue eyes before he was ripped from the dream.

"Fuck!" He screeched loudly, his body convulsing as he quickly sat up, his hand lashing out to claw his wall. "Junglehumping douchesquatting pile of steaming shit!" He cursed loudly, his throat sore, his body warm and his eyes prickling with red tears. How fucking unfair was that?! If this was someones idea of torture they fucking won. Karkat had enough. He couldn't _do_ it anymore.

"Holy Hell, Kar." Eridan stated in alarm. "You scared the shit out of me." He moved to sit up as well but paused at the feeling of warm liquid near his hips. He glanced down, lifting the blanket that covered both of them to see the red fluid that could only be Karkat's genetic material. But it wasn't enough. Not even near enough. "Kar?" Eridan ventured softly, violet eyes widening at the violently shaking troll.

"I can't _do_ this anymore, Eridan. I can't." His voice was soft and his words were broken.

"Oh, Kar." The highblood didn't hesitate to wrap his moirail up in his arms. He tucked the trolls head under his chin as he held him against his chest, rubbing gentle hands over his shaking back. "Wwe'll figure this out. Wwe wwill."

"N-No." He pushed against the other's chest, lifting his head enough to meet violet eyes with one of the most angry expressions Eridan had ever seen on the mutant's face. "I'm done. I don't give a holy flying shitsucking fuck who is doing this anymore. I just want it to _stop._ I don't want to see him again."

"You... don't mean that, Kar."

He hissed, lips curling over sharp teeth. "Seeing him is just torture. I hardly even know the squishy idiot and I feel like this?! That's not _right_ , Eridan. Nothing is right about this at all!"

Eridan slipped a hand into Karkat's shaggy hair, going for a horn but the troll quickly pulled away. "Kar.."

"No. Fucking, no. Don't touch me." He quickly pushed away from Eridan, pushing himself against the wall the restblock was pushed against. He brought his knees to his chest, wincing at the pressure in his nook while he folded his arms atop his bent knees to rest his chin on.

Eridan didn't need an explanation as to why Karkat didn't want to be touched. It was a horrible feeling to have a nook full of genetic material with no way of releasing it. He'd never experience it himself, of course, but he could imagine how uncomfortable it must have felt. He inhaled deeply as he glanced at the closed door. "Should I get Gamzee?"

"No!" Karkat reacted quickly, a strange flash of terror crossing his crimson eyes before he shook his head. "He can't see me like this. It's fucking pathetic."

"But Kar you... You need to."

Karkat grit his teeth, his grey cheeks flushing as he stared at the sheets. "Leave and I can do it myself."

"I'm not leavving you like this. You're close to tears and I'vve nevver seen you cry before."

The most pathetic whine came from the back of the trolls throat and he wanted to cull himself for it. Since when was he so pathetic and worthless? When had that happened? Oh, right. When he went flushed for a human from his dreams. That probably started it. He was a romantic at heart and if he really was as flushed for John as he thought he was, he was screwed.

"Kar." Eridan kept his voice gentle as he reached forward, placing a hand on the troll's shoulder. Karkat flinched at the touch but he didn't knock it away. "As much as you'vve done for me... with Fef and Sol... It's the least I could do as your moirail."

Crimson eyes glanced up, narrowed in suspicion. "They would both cull you."

"Wwe have a higher chance of _Gamzee_ culling me, actually." He waved his free hand as if to brush the matter under the table. "It's an emergency. They'll understand if it comes to that. You're in pain, Kar. I can't sit back and do nothing about it. You should understand that."

Crimson searched violet for a solid minute before Karkat's shoulders relaxed and he released the tight hold he had on himself. "Fine. But we never speak of this again."

"Agreed." Eridan shifted forward, moving to kneel before the other troll who slowly parted his thighs, letting his hands drop to the restblock on either side of him. "I assume it wwon't take much for you. You just need to release." He was tender as he pushed the black underwear down Karkat's hips to reveal his most intimate parts.

Karkat's breath hitched, his fangs sinking into his lower lip as he watched Eridan with weary eyes. Anyone else and he would have sliced them to bits for even suggesting this. But Eridan was different. Eridan was his moirail. And more than anyone... Karkat trusted him. They were as pale as it could get and no amount of pailing would ever change that. Not that they had ever pailed before.

An elegant hand pushed Karkat's thighs farther apart while the owner slipped between them just enough, pressing the bridge of his nose against the curve of Karkat's throat. Karkat stiffened when that hand moved toward his fully exposed bulge that was eager to wrap around elegant fingers. His chest contorted and he closed his eyes tightly, not even trying to think about what they were doing. It felt _wrong_ because it was Eridan. It wasn't John even though Eridan was gentle like the human. It was red but it _w_ _asn't_. Because Karkat knew what red was and this certainly was not it. But he needed it. He'd be in pain for a while if he didn't.

"Relax, Kar." Eridan purred softly into his pointed ear, allowing his free hand to slip over the wet lips of his nook. He squeezed the red bulge around his fingers gently as he slipped one finger into that overwhelmingly wet warm cavern, careful of his claws. "Goodness, Kar. You're about as full as you could evver be." His voice was laced with his own slight arousal but he pushed it down so not to worry his moirail.

Karkat took deep breaths, willing his body to enjoy it the best he could. It didn't take much with that prodding finger inside him and the others squeezing his bulge. His claws gripped the sheets on either side of him as he tried to focus his eyes on anything but Eridan and what the troll was doing to him.

"That's... odd." Eridan said suddenly, his voice taking a hint of confusion as he twisted his finger inside the nook. "There's something..." He curled his finger before pulling it out and basically gawked at the strange white substance on his finger mixed with red genetic material. "Ah, Kar?"

"W-What?" He grit his teeth, willing his eyes to met confused violet.

"Did he... I mean..." He raised his hand, showing Karkat what he had discovered inside his body. "Is this...?"

HIs bloodpusher thumped against his ribcage. "That's... not possible. Is it?"

Eridan's eyes narrowed slightly as he grabbed Karkat's discarded underwear and used them to wipe his hand clean. "Something strange is definitely going on here. Most strange indeed. If it wwere just a dream, you wwould not have such a... thing inside you. But you wwere beside me the wwhole time. I wwould havve knowwn if you wwere gone."

"Then... What?"

"I'll look into it." Eridan stated before he shoved two fingers up Karkat's nook and curved them _just_ right. The troll hissed in response, his hands clinging to broad shoulders as his body shook with the sudden climax that he couldn't fight. Eridan didn't bother with a bucket. The bed was already a mess as it was, it didn't matter. Red fluid splashed over his hand, his nose crinkled in response but he said nothing against it as Karkat shook against the wall. "My apologies." He mumbled softly, leaning close to press a soft kiss to the troll's forehead. "Let's get you cleaned up."

Karkat shook uncontrollably, his mind a haze-filled mess and his limbs sparking with a shame-filled pleasure. It wasn't satisfying in the least but Eridan had gotten the job done. The pressure in his nook was gone and he felt a hell of a lot better than he did a moment before. But.. "I don't think I can move."

"I'vve got you, Kar."

* * *

The flickering screen only a few feet away made no sense to the unblinking troll. He was curled against the arm of a rather comfortable couch, knees pulled to his chest while one elbow rest on the arm. Crimson eyes watched the flickering screen, watching as two trolls kissed but none of it fully registered in his hazy mind. The room was dark aside from the screen and it made his slightly paler than normal grey skin stand out all the more. Dark rings shadowed under his crimson eyes that were now more black than crimson thanks to his lack of sleep. It had been a week since he'd allowed himself to sleep and he was thankful for his old habit of not sleeping. It really helped in his situation.

"Kar?" The door to his hive opened, spilling soft light from the street lamps into the darkened room where the troll was curled up.

Crimson snapped to the highblood entering his hive. "The fuck are you doing here? I thought you were with Captor tonight."

Eridan gave a sheepish smile as he moved out of the open door frame to reveal the mentioned troll behind him. "About that..."

"KK!" Sollux didn't waste time in pushing past his Kismesis to plop down on the couch.

"Rude, Sol." Eridan reminded as he shut the door to Karkat's hive and removed his purple cape to hang on a hook.

"Suck it, ED." Sollux stuck out his dual tongue before focusing his attention on the curled up troll.

Crimson met mismatched red and blue as he perked an eyebrow. "Why are you here?"

"Aw, come on, KK. I haven't seen you in ages." The troll whined softly, twisting his body around just right so he could plant his head against Karkat's thigh, glancing up at him over his oddly colored glasses. "Plus, ED told me you weren't doing well so of course I had to come see you."

The three were grubhood friends. It was no surprise that Sollux had become Eridan's Kismesis and Karkat had become his Moirail. Sollux and Karkat had always remained good friends but saw no point in filling any quadrants with one another. Moirails had been an option once but Eridan took that out from under Sollux rather easily. It was a sore subject for the dual horned troll that they didn't speak about.

"What did you tell him?" Crimson met violet and he only received a shrug as Eridan came around the other side of the couch to perch elegantly on the arm Karkat was leaning against.

"Not a wword."

"Lies you fuck." Sollux pointed out, shifting to stretch his long lanky arms over his head. "He said you haven't been sleeping much and that's why he's a cranky asshole."

"I nevver said that's wwhy I wwas upset."

Sollux waved a hand in the air. "Obvious." He shifted to sit up, pressing against Karkat's side to peer into slightly narrowed crimson. "So, what's up? What's got your panties all up in a bunch?"

"Why should I tell you nookhumper." Karkat pushed a hand against Sollux's face and earned a grunt for his effort.

"You pain me, KK. I thought we were friends." He drawled on dramatically as he flopped into Karkat's lap, forcing the troll's feet to hit the ground. "I just want to help is all. Is it Gamz?" He asked, tilting his head back to meet crimson.

Karkat groaned softly, and really wished Sollux hadn't pulled the friend card on him. He was way too tired to deal with this shit. Way too tired and exhausted to fight it. Because really what did it hurt for Sollux to know? He'd probably tease the fuck out of Karkat but then Eridan would step in and he wouldn't have to deal with it anymore. His shoulders slumped in defeat as he crossed his arms against his chest.

"Whoa, hold on." Sollux was sitting up again before Karkat even had a chance to speak. "I know that look." He pushed his glasses up over his bangs, narrowing mismatched eyes to peer at Karkat. "That's a 'i've had my bloodpusher broken' look." His dark eyebrows shot up. " _Is_ it Gamz?! Did he break up with you?"

"For heavven's sake, Sol." Eridan cut in, his arms crossed over his chest as he peered down at the troll. "I wwould have told you if that wwere the case."

"No one asked you, seaseedflapper." He snapped before focusing on Karkat once again, his body turned to face the troll on the couch. "If it's not Gamz than, did you... I don't know, get flushed for someone and they didn't want it?"

"Not... exactly."

"So you _are_ flushed!" Something about the way Sollux's lips curled up into a smirk made Karkat feel uncomfortable. "Who is it? Is it TZ? Wait, why are you all depressed then?"

"It's not Terezi." He mumbled softly, a flush coming to his cheeks as he quickly glanced to the floor.

"Yeah, TZ would say yes to you in a bloodpusherbeat."

"Wwho wwouldn't." Eridan added in.

Crimson eyes shot to violet. "The hell does that mean?"

"Wwell, you are quite desirable, Kar. I thought you wwere awware of this."

The troll only blinked in response.

"You _do_ have two highbloods in your three filled quadrants and the most desirable auspistice."

"Not just any highbloods." Eridan continued for Sollux. "The two closest to the queen."

"Yeah, yeah, you're a prince ED, get over yourself."

Karkat hissed softly at both of them. "I don't see what this has to do with _anything_."

"Right, wwe got off track."

"Who are you flushed for then?" Sollux continued, tilting his head at the troll avoiding his gaze. "And why are you so damn depressed about it?"

"It's complicated." Karkat settled with.

"Do I know them? Do I know them, ED?" He turned his attention to his Kismesis who had no intention of spilling anything.

"Kar wwill tell you if he cares for you to knoww."

"Ugh. You're both so frustrating." He groaned, sitting back in the couch as he threw hi hands up in defeat. "Secrets sucks you know. Specially between friends."

"It's not a secret, Captor. It's just... really grubfucking confusing."

"I don't care. Tell me." He demanded, crossing his arms over his chest as a faint pout came to his lips. It wasn't convincing at all but Karkat didn't enjoy keeping things from his friends. And Eridan and Sollux were his closest friends. It really was only fair that he told Sollux as well. Though, there were a few details he was willing to leave out for the sake of his dignity.

"His name is John."

Sollux perked a brow. "John? I don't know a John."

"You wouldn't."

"Hmmm?" He shifted toward Karkat, narrowing his eyes as he searched the troll's face. "Why's that?"

"Because he's human."

"Shit's a human?"

"Squishy soft pink things."

"You both are so uneducated sometimes." Eridan added in, rolling his eyes at the two trolls who filled his quadrants. "They are alien creatures to us. From the planet Earth in the Milky Way galaxy."

"That's all fine and shit, ED but that doesn't answer my question any more that KK's answer. Cause why does whatever the fuck he is have to do with KK's depression?"

"For a computer genuis, you really are sloww sometimes you arrogant jackass." Eridan hissed between his teeth.

"Time out for the kismesises." Karkat snapped, pressing a hand to each of their faces. "I'm not dealing with either of your shit today. So shut up and let me fucking talk." Both snapped their mouths shut so Karkat brought his hands back to his lap. "I don't even know for sure if he's real or not."

"Kar..."

"No, shut up, Eridan." The crimson glare he received made him do just that. "I've only met him in my dreams and that's not saying much cause I hardly know the pathetic dork. But he's innocent and pure and kind of sweet in this weird way that makes it obvious he's not a troll and never had to fight in his life."

Sollux was quiet for a few moments as he let this information set in. "So, you're a dream walker?"

"Apparently."

"You're walking in a human's dreams, KK? I didn't know that was possible."

"Wwe don't believve that is wwhat is going on."

Sollux finally used his brain and allowed all the pieces to click together. "You think a mind fucker is doing this? But why? What's the point in that?"

"Getting Kar flushed for a human and then ripping him awway sounds like black to me."

"Gamz ain't that smart."

"I am aware." Karkat replied softly, wrapping his arms around himself as his bloodpusher thumped in his chest. "I don't care who it is. It just needs to stop. It's fucked up."

"So this is why you haven't been sleeping." Sollux sat up, lifting a hand to pet Karkat's hair only to earn a soft growl from Eridan. They bared fangs for a second before Karkat slapped both of them. "Shit, KK." He grumbled softly, rubbing his cheek where he had been slapped. "That really sucks."

He snorted softly, wiggling back against the soft cushions of the couch. "Grubfucking really."

"It wouldn't be too hard for me to figure out whose doing it." Sollux pointed out, tapping a finger to his horns. "But I don't know what good that would do."

"I could cull them." He hissed softly. "Or I could let Gamz do it."

Eridan and Sollux glanced at each other before Sollux dared to ask the question the seadweller couldn't bring himself to ask. "Are you sure about that, KK? I mean... You're pretty flushed for this squishy human guy. Wouldn't it hurt more if you never saw him again? I mean, I know not being with him probably hurts a lot... I know I don't feel all that great when FF is too busy to spend time with me but this... Shit, KK, this is really fucked up." He dug a hand in his hair, tugging on it slightly as his mind spun.

"No shit." He snarled, rolling crimson eyes. "I hardly know him. I pity him for what he is. Not who he is. I don't even know who he is. I should get over it if I never see him again."

"Yeah, okay, true but KK this is _you_ we're talking about here. The same troll that cried at the end of Trocahontas."

"You shut your nooklicking mouthflap, they were meant to be and they went their separate ways for the better of their people. It was fucking beautiful you asswipe."

"Wwhat if you and this John are meant to be?" Both Karkat and Sollux stiffened at Eridan's softly spoken question. "Did you consider that? I see this being black, but it could be something else as wwell. Wwhat if no one else is invvolved? Wwhat if your subconscious mind is reaching out to find the person you wwere meant to be wwith millions of miles awway through the stars?"

"Damn, ED. That's deep, even for you." Sollux spoke, slightly astonished.

"If we were meant to be than why would he be that far away? Let alone another fucking _species._ " Karkat mumbled, his crimson eyes narrow at he looked up at his moirail. It was honestly something he had never considered because he didn't even want to think about that possibility.

"You're the romantic here, Kar. Since wwhen do you believve these things happen for no reason?"

"ED's got a point. If this were happening to anyone else, you'd be going on about 'fated matesprites' and all that shit."

"It's not happening to anyone else. It's happening to me!"

Eridan let out a soft sigh and with a glance to Sollux, he slipped down beside Karkat and the arm of the couch. The mutant troll had no choice but to move over, pressing against Sollux's side before Eridan wrapped his arms around him and brought him close. "You are allowwed happiness, Kar."

The mutant troll tensed at those words. "I'm not happy."

"You could be."

"How?"

"Actually, I have an idea." Sollux perked up, a strange smile coming to his lips that made both Karkat and Eridan feel uneasy.

* * *

It was the craziest idea Sollux had ever had. _And it actually worked_.

Everything was a blur for Karkat. From the moment Feferi told him she had a way to get him to Earth to his current state. Which happened to be _on_ Earth. He wasn't alone. No, of course not. No way was Eridan going to allow him to go to some strange planet alone. And of course Sollux felt it was his right to tag along. Feferi wanted to come to but being queen was a bit more important.

The old transporter was hidden deep within her castle and was something the royal family had been using for a long time. Earth was a vacation destination apparently. The mutant troll didn't have much say in the matter when he was told he was going to Earth to find his human. Everything was set up for him. Eridan packed for him, Sollux made sure the transporter was safe enough for the three of them and would send them to the right place and Feferi made sure they had enough supplies to survive in the human world. If things went as they planned, they would have no issue returning to Alternia through the transporter on the other side.

What none of them had expected was for the transporter on the other side to land them in the middle of no where in an ancient temple of some kind. Hiding their skin and horns was going to be hard but it was for the better. They were meant to be shadows in the human world, never really seen. Which was easy for a troll who had spent the majority of his life in hiding.

But the real challenge, was finding a one John Egbert in Seattle, Washington.

* * *

"If this is another grubfucking mistake I am going to tear your eyes out and use them as decorations, Captor." Karkat hissed between clenched teeth, crimson eyes glaring at him through the black hood over his head.

"Hey, shit happens, KK. How was I supposed to know there would be more than one John Egbert in this strange ass place?"

He grumbled softly, glancing up at the tall building. The human world was so strange. Super strange. Yet not all that different from Alternia. "I can't just knock on the door this time, Captor. The last guy nearly jumped out a window when he saw me."

"He has a point." Eridan added in, his horns and fins hidden by a slumped purple hat a top his head. Their grey skin hadn't been a problem as they came to find out. The humans hardly paid them no mind and Eridan preferred the comfortable hat to the stuffy hoods that both Sollux and Karkat had. Hiding their fangs, claws and horns was still a priority however.

"We could just hang around. Wait and see if he comes out or goes in."

"That could take hours." Eridan groaned softly, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Howw sure are you this is _the_ John Egbert wwe are looking for, Sol?"

"He's the last one I could find. If it's not him than I don't know what the hell we're gonna do."

Karkat felt his bloodpusher sink just slightly. Crimson eyes raised to the building and as he stared at it, he started to feel a strange tug. It pulled him toward the building and that was all the troll needed. He took a deep breath and moved away from his fellow trolls to enter the building.

"Kar!"

"KK!"

They were quick to follow him inside the building but he paid them no mind. He glanced around, opting for the stairs instead of the strange metal contraption known as an elevator. He hated those things. His legs took him up three flights of stairs without a problem before he entered a hallway. Crimson glanced around, finding how the sequence of numbers went before moving down the hallway in the right direction. He counted the numbers as they went by until he came to 413. The door was brown like all the other doors and didn't stand out at all.

Eridan and Sollux hovered at the end of the hall, giving Karkat the space they knew he needed. If they were wrong, they'd be quick to intervene. But, if they were right... well.

Karkat took a deep breath and raised his fist to knock three times on the door. There was no point in hesitation. Karkat was a troll of action and he'd had about enough of feeling like a weak wiggler ever since John came along. He was ready to figure it out and get it over with. Whatever that meant.

Movement was heard behind the door and Karkat tilted his head to keep his face shadowed. The door clicked and opened to reveal a blonde squishy human with strange shades over his eyes. "Sup?"

Karkat's breath caught in his throat, his teeth grinding together, still not over the fact that he somehow knew how to speak the human language. He lifted his face enough so his crimson eyes could meet his own mostly hidden reflection in dark shades. "I'm looking for John Egbert." He mumbled softly, keeping his lips over his fangs the best he could.

The blonde stranger perked an eyebrow over the shades before he turned away from the door to yell back into the apartment. "Yo, Egbert. Dude's here to see you." And then he just left, wandering back inside to plop down on the couch where he had obviously been before.

Karkat didn't bother to move. His limbs were stiff and his bloodpusher was dropping toward his stomach. He lowered his eyes to the floor, clenching his fists as his sides as he waited, the anticipation making his anger boil slightly.

"Who is it, Dave? Oh. Hello."

Crimson snapped up and for a moment all the troll could see was blue. It was him. It was _fucking_ him. In all his full real glory. As tall as Karkat thought. All pink and squishy with shaggy black hair and black framed glasses over his beautiful blue eyes. John stilled in the apartment, his hand still reaching for the open door as his mouth just dropped.

Karkat took his opportunity to lift his hands and drop the hood from his head. His black hair fluffed slightly at the action but those small rounded candy-corn colored horns were clearly visible. John's eyes widened to the point that they seemed they would pop out of his head as Karkat plastered a faint smile on his lips, revealing a fang.

"Hello John."

John was still for about two seconds. "Karkat!" The troll was engulfed in strong arms and grunted at the force of the other slamming against him. Claws came up to cling to the human's back and it took all the strength Karkat had _not_ to crumple to his knees and cry. Because he had been _right_. They had all been _right_. John was _real_. He could feel him. Breathing, his bloodpusherbeat against his chest. John Egbert was fucking _real_ and neither of them had lost their mind.

"Holy shit, dude. Seriously?" The blonde spoke from behind John.

"Oh god." John pulled back suddenly but then his hands were cupping Karkat's face, brushing thumbs over his cheek bones as he searched crimson eyes. "Oh shit it's really you. I wasn't crazy. Oh fuck, Karkat. It's really you."

"Looks like I owe Lalonde 20 bucks." The blonde grumbled before returning to his spot on the couch though he was completely ignored by the two in the doorway.

"How did you...? Oh fuck, come in! Come in!" He grasped the trolls hands with his own and started to tug him inside. But Karkat stopped him, planting his feet on the ground as he glanced back as Eridan ad Sollux. "What is... Oh." John peeked his head out the door to see the other two trolls lingering down the hallway. "They can come in too." He spoke, flashing a smile that made all three trolls blink.

Karkat flicked a claw at his friends, motioning for them to follow as he entered the apartment, allowing John to grasp his hands and pull him inside still. Eridan and Sollux were quick to follow them inside, shutting the door behind them. Sollux removed his hood as Eridan tugged off the hat from his head.

"Whoa, dude." The blonde mumbled softly, lifting up his shades enough to reveal red eyes that scanned over the three trolls in his living room. "There are three of them."

"Ah, Karkat, that's Dave. I mentioned him before I think. Dave, this is Karkat!" He stated excitedly, his arm slipping around the trolls shoulders to show his best friend.

Dave moved to his feet, settling the shades back on his face as he approached the mutant troll. "Different than I expected. But, not bad Egbert, not bad." A faint smirk curled on his lips that made Karkat press just a bit closer to John.

Karkat looked Dave over for a moment before he grasped the edge of John's shirt and pulled the human toward the other two trolls. "This is Sollux and my Moirail Eridan." He flicked a claw at each one. "This is John."

"They really are squishy." Sollux commented, tilting his head as he reached a claw to poke at John's arm.

"Don't be rude, Sol." Eridan slapped his hand before focusing his attention on the dark-haired human. "It's a pleasure to meet you, John Egbert."

"I, uh, yes! You too!" The smile that came to his face made all three trolls stare. But those blue eyes were instantly on Karkat and that smile grew. "What are you doing here? I mean, how?"

Karkat shrugged a shoulder. "It's a long story. But I figured, if we're gonna do this we might as well do this right. In person."

"Do what exactly?"

Crimson eyes rolled as he slipped a hand into soft hair and tugged the human down till their lips met. And it was the most perfect thing in the world. It was solid. More solid than any of their dreams ever could have been. More real than either of them could have ever dreamed.

Maybe they hadn't met in the most conventional way and they sure as hell didn't go about their relationship in the best way. They still hardly knew one another. But Karkat had come. He showed up and that was the beginning of everything. Because when John pressed back against Karkat's lips and slipped his arms around the troll's waist it was enough to prove what Karkat had known all along.

They were meant to be. Millions of miles apart. Across the stars.

**Author's Note:**

> There's a lot of holes, I know. I may fill them in eventually. I have this idea to write this whole story over but in John's point of view. If you'd like to see that, let me know. I think it'd be pretty interesting and would answer a good chunk of questions.
> 
> Welp, I thank you for making it through all of that and I truly do hope you enjoyed it. It may be a mess but it's my mess and I'm a little proud of it. I like to think the mess explained Karkat's state of mind rather well. 
> 
> Please do let me know what you thought! I just wanted a break from WITD and this was a nice one. Kudos and comments are always appreciated! I reply to every comment I get because it's so nice of people to leave them!
> 
> Thanks again!
> 
> ~Addy~


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